Blackjack, also called "Twenty-One", is played in most casinos throughout the world. The conventional (gaming establishment) Blackjack table is a half-circle with one curved side for the players to stand or sit and a straight side where the dealer stands or sits. The conventional Blackjack table provides one station with a single "21" wager box for each player. Blackjack tables are designed to accommodate one player at each station. Most Blackjack tables have five, six or seven stations. It is to the advantage of the gaming establishment to have Blackjack tables that will enable players to make the maximum number of initial "21" wagers possible on each deal without crowding the table.
BLACKJACK HAS ITS OWN LANGUAGE: As used by most Blackjack players and gaming establishment operators and as used in this patent application, the following words have the following meanings ascribed to them:
"Bet"--Wager made by players. PA0 "Blackjack"--the Americanized name of Vingt-et-Un (French for Twenty-one) and/also means a 10 count card plus an Ace, totaling 21 in the player's or the dealer's initial hand. PA0 "Casino"--A gaming establishment. PA0 "Deal"--the distribution of the cards to the players and dealer. PA0 "Dealer"--the person that deals the cards. PA0 "Each Deal" means performing the following things: The dealer dealing two cards to each player's "21" wager or "21" wagers and two cards to the dealer to begin the game. At least one of dealer's cards is turned face-up); each player then takes hits or stands, and/or makes additional bets such as insurance or doubling down or splitting pairs for each of his wager or wagers, as desired by the player; when all of the players have completed their play, the dealer then takes hits or stands as required by the predetermined conventional manner of play of the dealer's hand; when the dealer has completed the play of his hand, winning player's wagers are paid and losing player's wagers are collected and the dealer gathers up all cards from the players' hands and from his hand and put those cards face up under the deck or in the card rack. PA0 "Double Down"--to place a wager adjacent to the "21" wager and the dealer will deal one additional card to that hand. PA0 "Draw"--take additional cards to add to the cards in the player's hand. PA0 "Hand"--the cards dealt in one group to a player's "21" wager and played by the player, and/or dealt in one group to the dealer. PA0 "Initial" means before the start of the deal. PA0 "First Initial Hand" means the first hand dealt to a player's first initial "21" wager. PA0 "Second Initial Hand"--the second hand dealt to a players second initial "21" wager. PA0 "Hit"--to draw additional cards to be added to the cards in the hand. PA0 "Layout"--the design imprinted onto the playing surface of the Blackjack table and/or a fabric table cover that shows the "21" wager boxes, the "Insurance" wager box, and/or other information, such as "Blackjack Pays 2 to 1". PA0 "Player"--the person who makes a wager and plays the cards dealt to that wager. PA0 "Push"--means tie; stand-off; no action. PA0 "Split"--to make two hands out of the original two card pair or equal value cards. PA0 "Stand"--play the cards the player and/or dealer has and not draw any more cards. PA0 "Station"--a designated area on the layout where one player makes his initial wager or wagers and where the dealer deals cards to the player's "21" wager or "21" wagers and the area where that player's winnings are paid. PA0 "Single "21" Wager Box"--A rectangle or other identifiable designated area on the layout where one player may place one initial "21" wager, double down wagers and/or split wagers and where the cards are dealt for that wager. PA0 "Double "21" Wager Box" means two adjacent "21" wager boxes touching one vertical line that extends above the two adjacent wager boxes. PA0 "Wager"--Bet made by a player. PA0 "21" Wager" or "21" Bet"--a "21" wager made by a player in the wager box at that players station. Winning or losing that wager is determined by the conventional method of playing Blackjack. PA0 "Initial Wager"--a wager (bet) made before the start of the deal; PA0 "First Initial "21" Wager"--means the first initial "21" wager made in one of the two wager boxes of the player's double "21" wager box before the start of the deal. PA0 "Second Initial "21" Wager--means the second initial "21" wager made by the player in the other wager box of the double "21" wager box. PA0 "Up-Card"--the dealer's face up card.